Ocean County reports its first measles case of the year

⚠ Ocean County has its first confirmed case of measles

⚠ Not much information about the infected resident is available

⚠ The NJ Health Department is urging residents about the importance of vaccinations

Ocean County has its first case of the measles this year, The New Jersey Department of Health has confirmed.

What We Know

There’s limited information available at this time about the infected county resident, like gender, age, residence, and how and where they contracted the virus.

However, state health officials are urging residents to be aware of the symptoms of this highly contagious virus and to make sure they are up to date with the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) shots.

Anyone traveling internationally should be fully vaccinated before traveling. Infants 6 to 11 months old should get one dose of the MMR vaccine before travel, and get two more doses after their first birthday.

Bergen County recently had a case of a resident who traveled and became infected with measles.

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The Good News

New Jersey is not currently experiencing a measles outbreak, which is defined as three or more related cases by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, health officials said.

However, the state health department is working with local health officials to conduct contact tracing so they can notify people who may have been exposed to this individual in Ocean County, and to identify additional exposures that may have occurred.

Potentially exposed and infected individuals could develop measles symptoms as late as July 22.

So far, not other cases in New Jersey have been identified.

That being said, the CDC has announced there are almost 1,300 confirmed cases of measles across 38 states and things could get worse. Health experts say the virus is on the rise due to a decline in the number of children getting the MMR vaccine.

Measles Symptoms

Symptoms of measles typically include a high fever, cough, runny nose, watery red eyes, and a rash that usually appears between three and five days after symptoms begin. The rash begins as flat, red spots that appear on the face at the hairline and spread downward to the neck, torso, arms, legs, and feet.

Measles can cause serious issues such as pneumonia and encephalitis (swelling of the brain). It can also lead to miscarriages in pregnant women, premature birth, or low birth weight.

The Plea

The New Jersey Health Department is urging anyone who suspects a measles exposure or illness to either call their personal doctor or their local health department before going to any medical office or emergency room.

Special arrangements need to be made ahead of time so as to protect other patients in waiting rooms, as well as medical staff. It is vital that you call ahead first.

Those at risk of getting the measles include people who have not been fully vaccinated or have not had measles in the past. Health officials are asking health care providers to assess for immunizations to ensure all patients are current on routine vaccines.

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